Always Say Goodbye
by Hypnoxic
Summary: *Daryl Dixon Fanfiction* Aviana Waters is faced with the epidemic of reanimated corpses. Her and her family have no where to go. But when the three of them stumble across Rick's group, her future changes and her dark past unravels itself.


Hey. I'm Aviana Jade Waters, but I guess that doesn't really matter when the world has reached it shittiest point. There are dead people up and walking so really, what does it matter? Pre-apocalypse I worked as a waitress. I never got the good grades to get a good job but that never bothered me and now it counts for nothing. Here, in this world, you're either dead or you're living there's no rich man or poor man, no black or white, kid or adult. We're all completely equal now.

When the epidemic hit, I was in the small café on my street called "Marco's". It was a cute little place with the lime green walls and kaleidoscope of art. I was doing my everyday job, waltzing from table to table with my little black apron, taking orders from customers here and there before handing them to the baristas. I was talking to a regular, joking around about how they never changed their order. Then it hit. A bloodcurdling scream had pierced the air, like a knife through butter. I whipped around, hazel locks falling into my vision. But not before I saw what had happened. In front of me, was the most ill-looking man on the planet tearing a chunk from a woman's arm. Chaos erupted and the whole café turned upside down. Employees were rushing for the phone while customers tore the man away. Crimson blood pooled the floor as the woman fell limp. Screams. The man pounced again, this time sinking his teeth into the regular next to me. Instinct kicked in as I pushed the attacker away. The regular fell into my arms as he held the side of his neck where he was bitten.  
"Shh... Stay calm. Someone'll get help and you'll be okay, okay?" I mumbled, laying him down. I needed to get out of there. I needed to find out what the hell was going on.

Running out into the street, my green orbs widened in terror as I witnessed the scene unraveling before me. Hundreds of civilians were running for their lives, screaming for their lost loved ones and grieving for their lost future. Glass, scrap metal and rubbish littered the street and turned the place into hell. I untied my apron, discarding it onto the ground with all the other insignificant objects. I had to get home. That was my one mission. My family had to be okay.  
Bursting through my porcelain white front door I yelled, commanding for my siblings to be perfectly fine. The heavy pitter-patter of feet down the birch wood stairwell reassured me and I saw my sister slide round the corner.

"Get your stuff. We're leaving. Now." Maria, my little sister, threw a duffel bag at me, giving me a short second to retrieve my breath and catch it.  
"Where will we even go? What's happening?" I demanded. Being the second oldest, I was always left and forgotten about to find my own way around what was happening that day. But this was different. This wasn't finding out that my toys were being stolen or that my parents were ill – this was figuring out how to survive whatever the hell had plagued the Earth.  
"Atlanta," Tyler, my older brother jumped in to explain, "Refugee center there. It's been broadcasted everywhere. They have no idea what's happening, just some sort of virus that kills then reanimates. Not pretty at all."  
"But every single road will be packed. How do you even expect to get within a mile of the city?" I countered.  
"That's why we're leaving pretty soon." My sister disappeared around the corner, most likely to find some food.

Not bothering to take off my shoes or change out of my work clothes, I bolted up to my room to grab some essentials. Before I knew it, we were packed into my brother's car and out of the neighborhood. We passed… So much terror. It was as Ty had said, reanimated corpses were shuffling around, grabbing at anything that had a heartbeat. The road lead to where we were at this precise moment, in the midst of what I don't doubt is thousands of people and cars. This was more widespread than I had anticipated, perhaps even reaching across the globe. But there had to be some chance right?

Tyler popped up beside me, leaning with his back against the car. "Are you alright?"  
"Yeah, just tired. Atlanta is safe right?"  
"Of course it I-" My sister never got to finish her sentence as she leaned against me. Every head on the road and on every other watched as helicopters flew overhead. And as each and every pair lit up with faith, our hope was ripped apart. Atlanta had fallen.

* * *

 **Heyoo! This is actually my first fanfiction so yippee. There will be Daryl action later on, I just wanted to introduce the character first. HAPPY READING!**


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